Author - Jacqui Smith

It has been a long journey for women to reach the top of the police service, writes Jacqui Smith The appointment of Cressida Dick as the first female commissioner of the Metropolitan police is excellent news for...

Jeremy Corbyn’s well-staffed media team are embarrassing our party, argues former home secretary Jacqui Smith Message discipline and effective media work is like good underwear. You do not want to wave it around...

Theresa May is not invincible. Here’s how to oppose her Let’s do a little late summer day-dreaming. Imagine we were in a fit state as a party to build an effective opposition to Theresa May and her government. What...

Through bitter and angry tears at 4.30am this morning, my overriding feeling was that I had let my children down. Parents of teenagers often know what this feels like, but today I realise I have let everyone else’s...

Expectations management is an important part of the media-handling of elections. However, I refuse to have my expectations of Labour success managed by our leadership. Our election results were not good enough to put us...

I was the member of parliament for Ambridge. For those of you who are not fans of the Archers, I know it is a Radio 4 drama series (can’t bring myself to say ‘soap’) and therefore not real, but nevertheless the village...

I agree with Jeremy Corbyn on his decision that a future Labour government would keep the police and crime commissioners introduced by the coalition government. He made this announcement in launching Labour’s campaign...

I was a teacher for 11 years before I went into parliament in 1997. In Worcestershire, we had the dubious distinction in those Tory years of having the worst nursery education provision in the United Kingdom, which made...

For reasons which have been well explored – and to which we will return, the prime minister and leader of the opposition have not had good starts to 2016. But as parliament returns for its first full week in 2016, my...

The unsung hero of the shadow frontbench is undoubtedly Rosie Winterton, the chief whip. It was clear from the time that Jeremy Corbyn was elected as leader on a platform of policies at odds with many in the...